September 30, 2009
Memories
1. I remember my mom telling me that she doesn't spend more then .20 cents an ounce on cereal. I use this as a bse for our purchases. I remember standing in food for less, searching the endless options of cereal, and her making this statement. Now I think of it every time I buy cereal. wow.
2. I remember my dad's constant Model Home comment. I only really remember him coming with us on one. But I distinctly remember him giving his opinion. The distance between the garage and kitchen needs to be minimal. Why? Groceries. the end.
3. I remember Tessa and I laughing at the tv guy saying "please try to find the humor in this". It still makes me laugh. I do say it almost all the time.
4. I remember David's advice about rounding that corner on Clayton Road, just beyond Peacock Ridge before there was a light there. Just as you get up that hill, you can speed cuz the cops won't be there till Marsh Creek. (the school).
Weird that I remember those little things. But it still makes me chuckle. And it still affects my days. Happy.
September 29, 2009
Caught!
I mean no disrespect but the "excuse" I often get from administration is he has an undiagnosed ADHD. I understand that this makes attention difficult and at times can be frustrating. I don't know personally anyone with it, but have several students who have it. This particular student I think takes it to a whole new level. My annoyance comes when it becomes the crutch. Almost like he doesn't have to even try to behave. Seriously, if his antics are this out of control, he should be in a more supervised class where other students aren't disrupted. Anyway, I digress.
After class, I calmly confronted the student saying, this was his last straw. I'm contacting his counselor and father to have him removed from class. Or to find a solution because I can't do this everyday anymore.
I was quite proud because I didn't fall for his whimpering eyes and promises to be better today. I called dad (got answering machines) and contacted his counselor.
I got a return call from the counselor. Mostly good news and totally on my side with some good suggestions for solutions. Until the counselor said..."and one more thing. Don't throw s*** at the students girl. You couldn't get into SERIOUS trouble for that. We're talking legal stuff. Don't do it!"
Woops. My bad. Guess that means I should stop shooting rubber bands at them too. :)
The good news is that the students has been formally confronted with administration. Is apparently up for expulsion. Is it bad that I'm hoping it goes through? Tomorrow is another day. I hope I can keep my cool for at least 10 minutes.
September 25, 2009
I did it!
Today marks the end of our 6 week progress report grading period. Reports will be mailed home early next week. After calculating my kids scores--I have a 21% fail rate. This counts the 7 students I have on my rolls that have more truancy's then actual days attended. (3 I have never seen.) If you ask me, that is pretty darn good. That means I have 130 passing students.
I must say, my 2nd period class are pretty much rock stars. All of them. I have 16 A's in that 33 student class alone. Followed by 11 B's and NO D's. So kudos to them.
I can't say that this improvement in grades has anything to do with me. I have changed my teaching methods slightly this year. I do my notes differently, and have done a different activity here or there, but overall I think its the same stuff. So, maybe I am getting to be a better teacher, or maybe its just a smart year of kids. I will say, I got an email today from one of my parents (I'm really making a concerted effort to email/call/contact all my parents frequently) responding to an email I sent that his kid had an A and was just a good kid overall. He responded saying thanks and that I "must be an OUTSTANDING educator!!!" That made me feel good.
Self-great day!
September 24, 2009
Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium was really great. We pet the rays, held the birds, and saw the new baby tiger shark that will grow up to 15 feet and 1600 pounds.
Disney Weekend
We hadn't seen the new dragon at the Fantasmic show so we made a point to go into the park specifically to see the much anticipated change. With a two hour wait on the banks of the Rivers of America, time can get a little slow. Mark then found this fun trick with our camera. Made the time past for a little while!
Disney pulled through again with a marvelous show. The Dragon was just remarkable! Really neat. After Fantastmic we ran with the crowd down Main Street to see Dumbo fly over the Castle. That was a little less then fabulous, but the fact that we got to walk to our swanky room made it totally worth it!September 17, 2009
Tagged
What is your current obsession? Luckily, I'm "in between" obsessions right now. The last was Sims3 probably. Or digital scrapbooking. I was consumed with it a few months back.
What do you hate that most everyone else seems to love? Not a surprise to some, but potatoes. I'm apparently not American.
What are you wearing today? My red "bowling" shoes that I haven't worn in a while. Love those. Jeans and the La Sierra Basketball shirt from 2 years ago. It's casual and comfortable-don't judge.
What’s for dinner? Probably cereal. Mark won't be home until after dinner so...I'll probably not think much about it.
What would you eat for your last meal? Its hard to say. I love so many things. Whatever it is, it will definatly include fresh Sourdough French Bread. And I'll never be full from it!
What’s the last thing you bought? Gas this morning to get to work. $3.17/gal.
What are you listening to right now? The kids outside on lunch and Mr. Ramaswamy on the other side of my wall in the middle of his very exciting Math lesson. He is really a loud teacher, but so am I so we balance each other out.
What is your favorite time of day? Morning. Crisp Fall Mornings!
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Home to be with my hubby. Then I'd take him to Venice, Italy. It is SO romantic and beautiful there and their gelato carts are cheap and amazing!
What is a hobby of yours? Running (although not as of late). Scrapbooking, cooking (even though you wouldn't guess based on our past meals), travelling.
What’s your favorite quote? I can't choose just one, so here are my top 5
5. "If I'm going to get cheap stuff, I want quality cheep stuff" -Lauren Kammeyer regarding the need for a Walmart at all times!
4. "Life rewards Action" - Sarah Krause
3. "Life - lived properly - is romantic" -Ryan Sutter
2. "There's a billion people on the planet, I mean what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything...the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things...all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying... 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed, because I will be your witness.'" -Shall We Dance
1. "I love you" - my husband
What is your favorite color? Yellow
If you could be proficient at anything without having to practice it over and over again, what would it be? The piano and volleyball
What is your dream job? I'm a lucky one who is doing her dream job. Better yet, I'd love to do yearbook ALL DAY! Its insane how perfect that class is for me!
Describe your personal style? I really like business casual but don't ever dress it. More of a jeans/top kind of girl.
What’s your favorite flower? Don't have a favorite, but really love roses.
What are you going to do after this? Chew out the yearbook class for their "he said/she said" 3rd grade crap. Then watch 6th period read. Then go home and clean my house, go for a run, clean more of the house, and then go on my Holidate! :)
What’s your favorite fruit? Strawberry
What inspires you? Music, Really dedicated athletes, My mom.
Who was the last person you kissed? My love.
What are you currently reading? Harry Potter 7. I know, I'm a bit behind.
Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line: It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. (StrengthsQuest: Achiever)
What is your favorite sound? Main Street in Disneyland. And the after-fireworks music from Wishes.
What delighted you most today? The fact that I got 2 hours off for the assembly that I was supposed to attend but didn't.
Did you laugh today? Not yet. Class has been a little boring.
What is a new year’s resolution that you have kept? I've tried to keep to a budget all year. Thats kinda a big deal. A bigger deal is that the past month we've really tried double hard to stick to it. Kinda rewarding.
September 15, 2009
Our "normal"
We went to Chili's around 5:30 where we ordered too much food. The skillet queso was delight, we splurged on beverages and the strawberry lemonade didn't disappoint although the ICB rootbeer isn't "free refills". Disappointing.
We returned from Chili's around 7:00 too full to be comfortable.
Mark napped.
I watched TV.
Mark woke up and began playing the football game on his playstation.
I read blogs.
We'll probably think about bed around 9:30.
Fun eh? Bet you wish your lives were cool like ours?
September 13, 2009
Girls Weekend

September 10, 2009
Today I...
--realized I haven't had more than 16oz of water the past 3 days. So I'm trying to correct that by overdosing on the bottle. I now have a hard time getting through the class period without having to excuse myself.
--have our 3rd day of "Senior Me" photos. Its hetic. This year in the yearbook the Senior class will get a "personality" shot next to their senior mug shot. Such a simple thing has created such confusion. Of the 750 Seniors, we only have 100 done. This could be bad news in the end. I suppose since it IS the first year, it will take a season to get it off the ground. Next year will be more popular.
--was offered an additional period to teach. Teachers here are contracted to teach 5 periods a day with 1 conference period. To help the master schedule, I have been given a 6th period class in lieu of my conference period. They start tomorrow! Wow. I haven't taught a last period of the day in 5 years! That was the year I almost quit my job. This will be interesting. Bonus--I get paid an "overtime" hour everyday!
--am super excited for my Holidate episode where the girl flat out tells the guy she isn't going to give him the plane ticket to see her; and to watch ANTM which recorded on our blessed DVR last night!
--am going Grocery shopping. I still love doing this. And I'm pretty sure Mark and I have been living off cereal and leftovers for about 10 days now. And I thought it was going to get better after marriage. Nope, we still eat lamo dinners. At least we set the table. That counts.
September 9, 2009
Wednesday Night
I "borrowed" the yearbook's amazing Rebel camera for these shots and I must admit I am completly sold on a necessary purchase for our own! So much fun to snap away!So in case you're curious, this is what we'll be doing Wednesday nights for the next while.
September 3, 2009
The Mountain of Fire
fiery depths of Mt. Doom with Frodo and Sam. I know that she mentioned it a little bit, but I was so glad that she wanted to watch the epic series with me. I think I had to semi-force her at first, but then, as she has admitted, kind of liked it. What a wonderful woman I have married, to participate in my geekdom. It was actually really funny, as she was asking me questions I was able to use the appropriate LOTR lingo to which she looked up at me and said, "you are such a dork". When it comes to those movies, I am admittedly the biggest dork on the planet. Not going to lie, it was actually on my secret list of desires in a wife, one who enjoys these movies. So thank goodness she does enjoy them! :) So, here is a big "Huzzah!" for my wife and being a good enough sport to watch those movies with me, and to admittedly enjoy them. She is the bestest!
September 2, 2009
Random Thoughts
Its been too hot to do almost anything these days. Pretty sure that 80 degrees at 7am is a bad sign.
Mark makes the most incredible creations for dinner. I just follow the reciepe and it turns out pretty good. But my husband thinks..yes, that will taste good together...and I am the lucky woman who doesn't have to do the work!
You know those people you know but they don't know you. I have that. A lot of that. This woman inspires me. And so does she. I read their blogs all the time. Why you may ask? Becuase they are real women with real personalities and real funny insights to motherhood with 2 kids. Makes me remember that real life is fun. Even if I don't have 2 kids. We don't even have 1. Not even 1 on the way. Just to clear the air. :)
I was observed today by the principal for my official review. It makes me sweat. I hate it. It went well. He suggested some improvements that I struggled with accepting. Like the lights when you take notes...he is set that they should be on. I have a long classroom. The kids in the back struggle. But I'll do what he asks.
I'm having a serious hair issue. Long or short? Cut or keep? It's not ugly but could it be cuter. Or is it ugly?
I finished Lord of the Rings the other night. As my husband has said, "I am now officially his wife". Okay, glad we got that out of the way early. And to admit-I'm kinda a closet Rings fan. It was actually pretty good. There I said it. Don't expect to hear it again.
I'm off for a Girls Getaway with one of my favorite people, Lauren. Bring it.
I envy this woman's life. And her pictures. She is so creative. I realize her blog is private but, she probably doesn't even realize I exist so...its okay that I stalk her and her cute family and classic and funny woe's of life with 2 kids. (I'm seeing a pattern! 2 kids = crazy life...notes taken)
I really really want to go to Washington DC.
How do women stay bone skinny. My weight fluctuates by the day. I'm on the upper ends of the scale these days. And my self-discipline to stop the madness is struggling.
Saw my dad's headstone for the first time on my Sister-in-Law's blog. (I guess its my brother's blog too but he hardly writes so...its her's now). Got all emotional again. Its still so surreal. The other day my students were looking at pictures from the wedding in my classroom and she said, "Thats your pops?" yeah...thats him. I miss him.
I've recently got in touch again with my oldest friend Tabitha. Reading her blog makes me happy. We were friends For.Ever. Literally. When it comes to childhood, she was it! Following her life again makes me happy.
Pretty sure I've seen my husband for a total of 2 hours this week. Wow. Our schedules stink. He surprised me tonight for half an hour before he was off again. This is why he is amazing. I like him.
I'm tutoring this year. First time ever. Its a load of work. If my fail rate doesn't drop some points I'm going to be mad.
I got online tonight to do some work on our Wedding Album. Its been 3 hours. I've successfully read everyone-I-knows blog...twice. And a few people I don't. Nice work!
So there you go. Random points about what has been going on. Not very interesting but...nobody promised it would be.

